Quote: What should churches bring to politics? The Gospel

"[A danger] is that churches get so caught up in political activism that they lose sight of Christ. The solution is not to avoid political issues, but to see politics as Kuyper did, as an opportunity to promote the claims of King Jesus. It is also important that the church's message, including its political statements, exude the grace of Christ. Grace is not only the center of God's Word, but a vital element of our communication, even of law. Denunciation of the evils of the world only takes us so far. It can, indeed, be counterproductive, because people come to resent constant scolding. Law and and gospel must be wrapped up in one another. Political preaching should show how God's grace itself impels us to live by standards that are different from those of the world."

-John Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life, 618 (emphasis mine).

I found this very freeing and encouraging. The greatest contribution that Christians can bring to politics is the gospel. We don't have to borrow political models from the right or left, we can build our own from the Bible. Not only does Christian politics seek to persuade society of the value of Jesus' ethical demands, it seeks to do so in the way Jesus did--full of grace, hope, and joy.